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One-on-one with Kobe
(Extended online interview questions are in red)
On the eve of the NBA playoffs, the reigning MVP chats with us about the Lakers' title hopes, his new documentary with Spike Lee and how he's not like Mike.
by Criagh Barboza
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Check out an exclusive peek at the new Spike Lee documentary "Kobe Doin' Work" at USA WEEKEND's Who's News Blog
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To walk in Kobe Bryant's shoes for a day, fans could always lace up a pair of Nike Zoom Kobe IVs. But they'd be better off turning to ESPN on May 16. That night, the 24-hour sports network will air a Spike Lee documentary on No. 24.
"Kobe Doin' Work" chronicles a single game day of the basketball player generally acknowledged to be the greatest of his generation. In 13 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant has been dominant, known for his extraordinary basketball IQ and killer instinct. He can take over a game with his lockdown defense or lift his team with the sort of acrobatic shots that leave commentators grasping for superlatives.
Last April, the Lakers granted Lee and his film crew complete access to a pivotal home game against the San Antonio Spurs at the end of the season. In all, 30 cameras were rolling, 18 trained on Bryant, who was wired for sound. You see how he prepares for games, hear him rib opponents and follow him into the locker room to break down game tape.
"Doin' Work" isn't a film in which Bryant hits a dramatic buzzer-beater or rewrites the record books. This ain't no scripted Hollywood movie.
By his standards, Bryant has an average game (20 points in 32 minutes). But so what? "I think the film shows there's so much more he's doing than scoring," Lee says. "He's involved in every facet of the game. He's like a coach out there."
We talked hoops and film with "coach Bryant."
NBA players usually peak in their mid-20s. You're 30 now. Are you still getting better?
Oh, absolutely. It's all about you as a person and how much work you put in to improve. I've never [paid attention to that stuff]. If I listened to what the experts say, I wouldn't be where I am now.
How does this season compare with last, when you lifted the MVP trophy and took your team to the finals?
This season is different. Last year, we came out of nowhere. It was somewhat of a Cinderella story, really. This year we're expected to get back to the finals, and we expect ourselves to be there.
This is another big year, with you cracking the top 20 on the all-time scoring list and taking home All-Star Game co-MVP honors. After your big man, Andrew Bynum, went down in January, you came out and torched the New York Knicks for a record-breaking 61 points, the most ever at Madison Square Garden. Were you sending a message?
I didn't think about it like that. I just thought, "Damn, we got to win this game." When we played the Knicks up at the Staples Center, they gave us a really tough time, and I didn't want us to be in another dogfight. To me, that was the most important game on the road trip because if we got that, we generated enough momentum to go into Boston and Cleveland and take care of business. Those were big games; I knew we'd be up for them. But the Knicks were worrying me a bit, so I just had to focus more on that. Now, obviously, I didn't expect to have the night I had, but I wanted to play well.
Was that the best game of your career?
I don't think so. I've had other games that, to me, I feel like I performed better in -- particularly in the playoffs.
After the game, you said you had some added incentive. That night you were going to meet Spike to review Kobe Doin' Work. What did you think of Kobe Doin' Work?
It's insightful. If I was a kid growing up, I would love to view this because you see what actually goes on in the game -- the speed of the game and the emotion in the game -- and how a team comes together through the course of 48 minutes to try to accomplish its objectives while outwitting an opponent.
What made you want to do it?
It was a good opportunity to give back. Hopefully, kids who want to play the game will learn something from things I picked up throughout my career.
At one point in the documentary, we see you during a timeout speaking Italian with your Slovenian teammate, Sasha Vujacic. How many languages do you speak?
I speak two fluently: Italian and English. I also speak Spanish well enough to communicate with [Lakers center] Pau Gasol throughout the course of a game.
The documentary shows you to be an inspired floor leader. That's not something you're known for.
The championship teams I've been on, you know, Shaquille was obviously the vocal leader, but I was the floor general. It was my responsibility to make sure we were in our offense and things were moving in the way [coach Phil Jackson] likes to call "flow." So in terms of what people see in the documentary, that's something I've been doing for years.
Which player from back in the day do you wish had done a documentary like this?
Oh, Michael Jordan. No question about it. Knowing where I am now, if I look back in time, it would have to be him because we have the same coaching staff, the same offense, and I'm playing the same position as him [laughs]. I'd love to have been able to pick his brain from that time.
There's so much talent in the NBA. Whose game impresses you?
A lot of players, to be honest: D-Wade, LeBron, all the guys from the USA [Olympic] team who have played well, from Chris Bosh to Deron Williams and Carmelo Anthony. The list just goes on and on. I've been happy for all of them.
Michael Jordan used to scour the papers, looking for something an opponent said that would motivate him. How do you stoke that competitive fire?
The idea of winning another championship is enough to get me going on a night-to-night basis. If somebody says something I happen to see or read or catch, that adds more to it, but I'm already there.
Some clips of it
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